A pensioner who made over £60,000 by selling dodgy cigarettes was labelled a “dishonest old woman who deserves to go to prison” by a judge.

Patricia Wilson had £62,351.96 in two separate bank accounts despite being on a state pension and having no other income.

The 72-year-old had almost £6,000 in cash lying about her house alongside thousands of counterfeit cigarettes worth about £4,856 when her Waterford Road home in Norton was raided last year.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that Wilson had over 7kg of tobacco in her home as well as the vast amount of cigarettes and that “no duty had been paid on them.”

She said that when police interviewed her, “she admitted selling cigarettes on the estate” and said she had “done it for a canny few year.”

The court heard that Wilson had previously been warned by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) about selling counterfeit cigarettes but continued to do it. In mitigation, the court heard that Wilson had made “full and frank admissions at an early stage” and that there was “some suggestion she was doing it on the behest of others.”